Electric Storm(76)

“Or is growing stronger and having difficulty finding a balance.” Jackson posed the question as a statement, and she heard nothing for a long time.

The words dropped her gut to her feet. Damn. She’d thought she’d been so careful to keep her growing powers and her inability to master them a secret. Obviously not. She’d been so desperate for contact, she’d stayed with the group longer than she knew was reasonable. A mistake. She refused to be a burden to them.

She either needed to gain control or cut them out of her life completely. Once she finished this job, she’d assess the situation, and take whatever steps were necessary.

She hurried upstairs, stripped down and stepped in the shower. The sharp sting of the cool water refreshed her somewhat. Her body healed sluggishly, begging for a few hours rest after the long day and the disturbing missing time at the morgue. Too bad it wasn’t going to happen. She had to meet Durant tonight, and needed to keep on her toes.

A knock startled a little scream out of her. The door opened before she could comment, and Taggert peeked around the edge. She went to reach for a towel and opened her mouth to blast him when she saw his downcast eyes and the slump to his shoulders.

“Taggert?” She quickly turned off the water and wrapped the towel around her. “Are you okay?” She stepped carefully forward, noticing the flinch around his eyes at her approach.

“Will you send me away?”

His question threw her. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll take your punishment, but I don’t want to leave.” He slipped to the floor, moving toward her on all fours.

“What are you doing? Get up.” She went to him, determined to jerk him to his feet if she had to.

“Please.” He rested his forehead against her foot. “Please.” He said it a second time, the plea in his voice making the back of her throat catch.

Raven captured his chin and forced his head up. Her lips were tight when she spoke. “Let’s get one thing straight here. I don’t condone what she did to you. I don’t blame you for anything. I have no intention of sending you anywhere. Are we clear?” The look in his eyes made her uncomfortable, especially since she was barely clothed.

“Why didn’t you fight back? Tell Trisha no?”

“Have you ever seen large cats in the wild?” Jackson’s voice snapped her head up. She wanted to tell him to get the hell out of her bathroom, but she needed answers more.

“No.”

“They like to play with their prey. He can’t shift and defend himself.” He kept his face carefully blank. “It’s a game for them, the chase and struggle make it more enjoyable.”

Raven closed her eyes, unwilling to see the message in his eyes. “Rape.”

“It’s not rape if you’re willing.”

“Bullshit.” Her eyes snapped opened, and she glared at Taggert. “The choice of death or sex is rape.”

Taggert settled heavier against her. “Some of the women weren’t bad. It was the ones who liked pain that were the worst.”

Raven glanced away briefly, horrified by what they accepted so casually. As if reading her thoughts, Jackson shook his head.

“You’re thinking like a human. We’re not human.” Jackson grabbed the doorknob, turning to go. “If you have any hope of trying to keep him, you have to stop thinking of us as human with an extra ability.”

She took a deep breath to argue, but Jackson had already disappeared. She hated when someone left before the argument was over. Her hair was drying, and the bathroom was growing colder with the door open. She shivered.

Taggert wrapped his arms around her legs, his head nestled against her thigh. She felt very self-conscious to notice his face so close to the end of the towel, then cursed herself. Jesus, Trish almost raped him, and she was worried about clothes.

She touched his back then drew away. “Get rid of those clothes and take a shower.” She didn’t want that woman’s scent on him.

When he slowly straightened, she helped him off with the shirt. “Give me the pants, too. I’ll have them burned.”

He blinked then complied without a word.

She averted her gaze, her eyes still seeing the marks on his flesh and it infuriated her. She wanted to find Trish and mark her in kind. She’d insist on healing him if her emotions weren’t so wild. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him more.

“Taggert.” She waited for him to meet her gaze. “If anyone tries that again, kill them.”

Not waiting for him to reply, she left the room. “Burn these.” She tossed the clothes at Jackson. He took one look at her expression and complied.